Hydraulic force pump



1958 F. M; TOMLINSON 2,846,698

HYDRAULIC FORCE PUMP Filed Sept. 28, 1956 INVENTOR. F'AY M TOMLINSON BY; Lull. fi. X4

ATTORNEY iilited Z,84fi,69$ Patented Aug. 12, 1958 HYDRAULIC FORCE PUMP Fay M. Tomlinson, Daytona Beach, Fla. Application September 28, 1956, Serial No. 612,840

3 Claims. (Cl. 4255) The present invention relates to a hydraulic force pump, and is primarily concerned with the production of a tool for clearing obstructions from waste pipes, or the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device whereby water under high pressure, and accompanied by a destructive hydraulic shock wave, can be forced into a waste or drain line. A further object of the invention is to provide a tool of the character abovedescribed which shall be extremely simple and inexpensive, and which shall be so simple in operation that it can be effectively used by the average housewife.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. l is a sectional view of a force pump constructed in accordance with the present invention, in an intermediate stage in its use;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the tool in condition for applying such a shock wave;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the force pump body.

My force pump comprises primarily an elastic, hollow, bell-shaped body having an open end defined by a deformable lip of such character that, upon partial evacuation of the interior of the body while the lip bears against the bottom of a container having liquid therein, the lip will be deformed to permit the passage of liquid into the interior of the body. In the optimum form of my invention, as illustrated, the rim 11 of the open end of the body 10 carries a channeled ring 12 whose bottom surface is formed with serrations 13, as clearly shown in the drawings. The ring carries an annular flap 14 of thin, readily-flexible, liquid-impermeable material whose outer edge is fixed to the ring 12 substantially at the level of the roots of the serrations 13, and whose inner edge 15 is free. In the preferred form of the invention, the ring 12 is made of rubber or rubberoid material, and the flap 14 is integral therewith; but it will be obvious that the ring 12 may be formed of any other suitable material and that the flap 14 may be a separate element suitably secured to the ring with a substantially liquid tight seal.

Thus, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the flap 14 primarily constitutes the essential deformable lip.

The body 10 is provided with an upstanding annular Wall 16, substantially at the axis of the body, and defining a socket 17 which opens away from the open mouth of the body 10. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the wall 16 is integral with the body 10; but it will be clear that, alternatively, the socket 17 may be formed in a separate element fixedly secured to the body 10.

A restricted port 18 opens from the interior of the body 10 through the base of the socket 17.

Preferably a handle member 19, having a reduced end portion 20, is provided for facilitating the application of collapsing pressure to the body 10, in the direction of he open end of the body. As shown, a reduced end portion 20 of the handle 19 is snugly seated in the socket 17; and a check valve 21 is confined in a chamber 22 defined between the ported wall of the body 10 and the inner end of the handle section 20.

The check valve 21 is mounted for free floating movement in the chamber 22; and it will be obvious that said valve will act to prevent fluid flow from the chamber 22 through the port 18 into the interior of the body 10, but will permit fluid flow through the port 18 from the interior of the body 10 to the chamber 22.

A restricted passage provides open communication between the chamber 22 and the atmosphere. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, that passage cornprises an axially extending groove 23 molded into a portion of the interior wall of the socket 17, and a slot 24 molded into the upper end of the socket wall to provide clearance between the shoulder 25 on the handle 19, and said wall end. It will be obvious that, as an alternative, a similar groove and slot could be formed in the handle.

I have illustrated a sink or the like, indicated generally by the reference numeral 27, and having a drain outlet 28 formed in its floor 29. When it is desired to remove an obstruction in the continuation of the drain outlet, the sink will be partially filled with water, and the pump of the present invention will be disposed in the sink, out of registry with the outlet 28, and with the serrations 13 of the ring 12 in engagement with the sink floor 29. Now, the handle 19 will be pushed downwardly to collapse the body 10. Thereby, air entrapped within the body 10 will be forced out through the port 18, lifting the valve 21, into the chamber 22, whence it escapes through the groove 23 and slot 24. Now, when the handle 19 is released, the inherent resiliency of the body 10 will re-expand the body to its normal, bell-shape. As soon as the body begins to re-expand, the valve 21 will drop into closing association with the port 18; and therefore, as the body continues to expand, its interior will be somewhat evacuated; and water will be drawn past the free edge 15 of the readily-flexible flap 14, into the interior of the body. Now, the handle 19 is again pushed downwardly to collapse the body 10. The free edge 15 of the flap 14 will immediately move into sealing engagement with the sink floor 29 to prevent expression of water therepast, and more air will be forced out of the body through the port 18. As the body thereafter re-expands, more water will be drawn into the body. Two or three such pumping strokes of the handle 19 will fill the body 10 with water.

Now, without lifting the pump, it is moved into registry with the drain outlet 28, as shown in Fig. 2. Of course, it will be understood that the drain outlet is filled with a column of water supported upon the obstruction which it is desired to remove; and, when the pump is moved into the position of Fig. 2, the mass of water within the body 10 constitutes a cap upon that column.

Now, a sharp hammer blow is struck against the upper end of the handle 19, which is preferably protected by a cap 26 of shock resistant material such as, for instance, rubber. The body 10, of course, tends to collapse under the efl'ect of such a blow, whereby the force of the blow is transmitted, through the mass of water within the body 10 and the column of water in the drain outlet 28, to the obstruction in the waste pipe. Of course, a few drops of water will be forced through the port 18, lifting the valve 3 21; but that port is so restricted that almost all of the force of the hammer blow will nevertheless be transmitted to the obstruction in the waste pipe, and a substantial volume of water will be driven, under high pressure, from the interior of the body 10 into the waste pipe which, of course, has many times'the efiective diameter of the port 18. At thev same time, a hydraulic shock 'wave will be generated inthe column of water in the waste pipe; and the combination of that shockwave and the moving mass of water is capable of dislodging low, bell-shaped body having an open end, and having a restricted port opposite its open end, valve means dominating said port to prevent fluid fiow through said port to the interior of said body but to permit restricted fluid flow through said port from the interior of said body, a

ring secured to the boundary of said open body end and carrying an inwardly-extending, readily-flexible, continuous annular flap, and manually-manipulable means for exerting collapsing pressure upon said body toward the open end thereof, said annular flap leaving a substantial area of said body end open for free fluid movement 'therethrough, and said ring being serrated on its surface remote from said opposite end of said body, and said flap being fixed at its outer edge to said ring substantially at the level of the serration roots and free at its inner edge. a

2. A hydraulic force pump comprising an elastic, hollow, bell-shaped body having an open end provided with a spaced series of serrations and dominated by a deformable, readily flexible, inwardly-extending, annular lip and providing, substantially at the axis of said body, a socket opening away from said open end, said body having a restricted port providing communication between the interior of said body and said socket, and valve means in said socket preventing fluid flow through said port from said socket into the interior of said body but permitting relatively free gaseous flow but highly restricting liquid flow through said port from the interior of said body into said socket, said flap acting as a valve to permit free fluid flow past said serrations to the interior of said body and to prevent fluid flow from the interior of said body past said serrations, but leaving a clear central opening for fluid movement past the radially-inner edge of said flap.

3. A hydraulic force pump comprising an elastic, hollow, bell-shaped body having an open end and providing j substantially at the axis of said body, a socket opening away from said open end, said body having a restricted port providing communication between the interior of said body and said socket, a substantially inflexible ring, serrated on its surface remote from said socket, secured to the boundary of said open body end and carrying a radially-inwardly extending, continuously-annular, highly flexible flap, a handle member having an end seated in said socket but spaced from the ported wall of said body, a check valve confined insaid socket between said handle end and said body wall, and a restricted passage opening from the interior of said socket to the atmosphere. 

